Fanning-mill



(No Model.)

` B. S. CONSTANT.

FANNING MILL.

No. 317,094. Patented May 5, 1.885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Bos-TON s. oONsTANT, OE PERU, INDIANA.

FANNlNG-NIILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent; No. 317,094, dated May 5, 1885.

i Application filed June 2?, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, BosToN S. CONSTANT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Peru, county of Miami, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fanning-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the general combination of the separating devices; to the construction of the feed devices of the hopper, and to the construction of a removable drum upon which the gear-wheels are mounted, all of which will be hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In order to aid others skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use it, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation with reference to the several figures of drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective of my'invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal sec tion of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective of the under side of the hopper.

In the drawings, Fig. l, A represents the body of the mill, which is constructed in the usual way.

D is the drum or blower, which is made detachable, to enable placing upon the mill a large or small blower, as in changing it from a hand to a power mill. The gear g is mounted on the drum, being removable with the same. The edges of the drum facing the mill are supported by the vertical rails R, which also support the blower and gear-wheels. Said drum is attached to the frame f of the mill, and secured by bolts passing through the frame and the musa. The drum is provided with 11anshaft w, said shaft being supported by hangers e e, and rocks within said hangers.

Fitting over the hanger e is a forked arm, r, which is secured to the shaft x and rocks with it. The forked arm o at its lower end is pivoted to the forked bracket s. (See Figs. 1

and 2.) Said bracket is attached to the front cross-rail, J, of the shoe N.

In the shoe, w represents the series of screen-A grooves, such as are in common use in mills of this class. Below said screens I arrange a series of inclined chutes, e e c e', which overlap each other, having air-passages between them, as shown at a4 a4 a4. At the foot ofthe lower chute I employ a tilting-platform, O, which is pivoted at the center. At the back end of the shoe I employ another chute, C', and to. this chute the platform is locked by the button t and thumb-nut. When said platform is tilted to the dotted position shown,it is likewise secured to the lower chutee, for the purposes hereinafter set forth. I attach to the rear end of the shoe the supporting cross-rail I. (See Figs. l and 2.) Said rail is mounted upon the springs C C, which support the shoe at the rear end. Said springs are also attached to the body of the mill, as shown in Fig. 2. Under the shoe I locate the air-valve K, Whichadmits air through the passages a4 a* a4.

V represents the central valve, which admits air over the grain-spout m and through air-channel G2.' V is a valve located in the main air-flue, which is rectangular, having diverging top and bottom, being smaller at the outlet to give a strong upward current of air. channels proper.

S is the common screenboX for storing the screens, and D the door to the same. In place of the spout m a drawer maybe used, if desired.

The hopper shown in Fig. 3 has the usual inclined sides,B B2. The part Bis raised and lowered by means of the eccentric lever n, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) said lever being pivoted to the part B and working against the cross-rail d. The part B2 is stationary, under which I locate the graduating cut-off E, which is moved to and fromthe part B by means of the elbowlevers L l, which are pivoted to the part B2 and bar c2, and by links z z to the cutfoff E,

h h and E represent the grain or wheat whereby the desired opening is obtained for the ilow of grain.

In @leaning wheat that is fun of chaff and IOG shown in Fig. 2, when the handle end of the lever a is turned down against the rail d, which supports it. l The eccentric end ofthe lever a is to move the part B when a small opening is required, as in feeding oats through.

To regulate the stroke of the shoe I provide the arm a with a slot, a', (see Fig. 1,) and, by moving the upper end of the pitman H toward the shaft x, shorten the point of attachment to the arm a and increase the stroke of the shoe, and when attached as in Fig. l the shoe has the shortest stroke.

It will be observed that the tilting platform, the chutes, and the spout m are all Vattached to and vibrated with the shoe.

In operating the mill the series of screens are inserted in the usual way, the wheat-screen being at the top and the finer screens below. I draw out the upper screen so that the lower end overreaches the lower screens, so that the wheat in passing over the end of the wheatsoreen will fall into the wheat-channel. In cleaning wheat that is full of chaff and small seeds-such as clover, timothy, chess, or cockle-the valve Kis opened to clean out the chaff. The platform O,beingin position shown, conveys the small seeds passing through the screens into the spout m; the valve V admits air to separate the dust from the finer seeds, and valve V allows strong current of air through thev falling wheat, cleaning the same. In cleaning wheat for seeding purposes that has clover or timothy seed mixed with it, and it is not desired to separate them, the platform O is placed in the dotted position shown, when the finer seeds will be discharged with the wheat through the grain-channel E.

Having thus fully described my present invention, what I wish to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A fanning mill comprising the shoe adapted to receive a series of screens, a series of inclined overlapping chutes formed with air-passages between them, the chute C', the tilting platform, the valves K, V, and V, the grain-box m, the main air-flue, the air-passage O2, the blower, and series of grain-channels, substantially as specified.

2. In a fanningmill, the combination of the hopper provided with the inclined movable and stationary parts B and B2, the cross-bar d, the cam a, the cut-oft` E, located below and connected to the part B2, the levers L Z, bar a2, and links z z, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

BOSTON S. CONSTANT.

Vitnesses:

HENRY HORNING, CHAs. GoNsTANT. 

